Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

New Greenpoint Gastropub: Manhattan Inn
632 Manhattan Avenue, between Bedford and Nassau, Greenpoint; (718) 383-0885
Manhattan Inn “sounds like something a little more upscale than what we’re used to seeing over here in the ‘point,” says Greenpointers. The blogger also notes that the restaurant opens at 8pm tonight, and you get get on the grand opening guest list by emailing abbey.manhattaninn@gmail.com. Time Out New York adds, “James Endicott (Per Se) is behind drinks like the Manhattan’s Manhattan (rye, Carpano Antica, mirto and bitters). Look for dishes like shepherd’s pie and live piano in the dining room.”

More Upcoming Openings
Eater shares an update on the still-shuttered Pies ‘n’ Thighs space, reporting that “There is still quite a bit of work to be done,” but they’re hoping to open “between Thanksgiving and Christmas. PnT lovers have been burned before, so don’t book the office holiday party there just yet.” … Plus, the Brooklyn Kitchen Labs and the Meat Hook are set to open on Wednesday next week. Stay tuned for some interior photos of this new cooking school and butcher shop in Williamsburg… And Time Out shares plans for La Petite Provence, opening in the old Patois space on Smith Street: The husband-and-wife team behind Provence en Boite will be serving “Provençal specialties like the chickpea pancake called socca and pan bagnat, the niçoise saladstuffed sandwich.”

Rave Reviews for Saltie
378 Metropolitan Avenue (Havemeyer Street), Williamsburg; (718) 387-4777; saltieny.com
Oliver Strand for the NY Times weighs in on this new spot: “The savory sandwiches, which change periodically, are careful compositions of bright and brawny flavors… Even the vegetarian Clean Slate ($8) is as vibrant as it is hefty. Generous scoops of quinoa and hummus are rolled in a blistered naan with pickled vegetables, sauerkraut and tangy yogurt. The combination works. Culturally speaking, it’s fearless, if a sandwich can be such a thing.” CHOW’s Outer Borough Digest recommends Saltie’s dessert options, too: “C Elise was stopped in her tracks by the Car Bomb, a dessert at the newish Saltie in Williamsburg. It’s a scoop of salted caramel ice cream drowned in Guinness.”

After the jump: Umi Nom’s “incredible” off-menu hot sauce, the New Yorker hits Saraghina, “seafood perfection” in Canarsie, Hecho en Dumbo’s big move, and more…

Hot Stuff at Umi Nom
433 DeKalb Avenue, Bed-Stuy; (718) 789-8806
Sarah DiGregorio for the Village Voice‘s Fork in the Road blog is a big fan of the pancit canton noodle dish at Bed-Stuy necomer Umi Nom — and recommends requesting some house hot sauce to kick it up a notch: “[Chef King] Phojanakong takes green Thai chiles and mashes them in a mortar and pestle with palm sugar, garlic, fish sauce, and lime juice, tasting as he goes along until the sweet-sour-spicy balance is exactly right.”

Go Fish at Saraghina
435 Halsey Street; (718) 574-0010
This homey Bed-Stuy spot is known for its Neapolitan pizzas, but that’s not all they’ve got, says Lila Byock for the New Yorker: “Fish is prepared with particular expertise; grilled octopus, served in a piquant tomato-and-celery salad, was pleasantly unrubbery, mussels tasted so fresh and simple that they might have been steamed in seawater, and a surprisingly flaky swordfish made an ideal foil for the crisp green beans on the side.”

Quick Bites
Robert Sistema for the Village Voice finds “seafood perfection” at a Haitian spot called Ambiance in Canarsie… The NY Times reports that Hecho en Dumbo has closed its Brooklyn location and is preparing to open at 354 Bowery (at East Fourth Street) “early next year.” … The Times also takes an in-depth look at the expansion of the Brooklyn Brewery.